The present invention relates to undergarments, particularly to undergarments that can be used in conjunction with an absorbent article, and more particularly to undergarments a user can wear with a catamenial device during her menstrual period.
As is known, disposable catamenial devices are commercially available in a wide variety of configurations for the specific purpose of absorbing and retaining menstrual fluids and other vaginal discharges. Unfortunately, such catamenial devices may leak menses along their periphery due to poor fit or improper placement. Such leakage frequently results in soiling of a wearer""s undergarments, clothing or bedding.
To provide additional protection against leakage, it is known to use a washable and reusable garment, such as a menstrual short or panty, in combination with a disposable catamenial pad. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,489,149, issued to Larson on Jan. 13, 1970, discloses a washable menstrual panty having a small pocket in the crotch area for retaining a disposable catamenial pad. Since the menses must initially flow through a layer of material forming the pocket to reach the catamenial pad, removal of the soiled catamenial pad can be distasteful, difficult and unsanitary. While a new pad can be inserted into the pocket, the garment is already soiled and would typically be changed. Also, the pocket may not accommodate the varied sizes of catamenial devices currently on the market. Further, the layer of moisture resistant material described therein fails to provide ventilation or breathability in the crotch region with a resulting potential for wearer discomfort when such a panty is worn.
The art has also attempted to address leakage from a catamenial device by providing absorbent material in a region surrounding the device and means for positioning the catamenial device. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,381, issued to Southwell on Dec. 24, 1985, describes a mesh-like outer panty shell with a thick inner layer of absorbent material in the lower crotch area of the panty. The inner layer of absorbent material includes a depression for receiving and positioning a catamenial pad. An alternative embodiment includes a barrier film between the absorbent material and the panty shell. However, if the barrier film is present, the crotch portion will not be breathable (with resulting discomfort) and if the barrier film is absent, there is a risk of leakage.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,813,950, issued to Branch on Mar. 21, 1989, a washable menstrual panty is disclosed as having an outer lining of spandex, soft tricot, etc. which provides a xe2x80x9cskin tight or almost skin tightxe2x80x9d fit and an inner lining of a microporous plastic film to prevent passage of menses therethrough while allowing passage of gasses. Similarly, existing Japanese-style menstrual shorts act like a girdle or a very tight fitting panty which attempts to hold a catamenial device in the wearer""s pudendal region. However. the tight fit of such undergarments has been reported to be uncomfortable to wearers and there is no apparent provision for directly lifting a catamenial device to a position close to a wearer""s pudendal area.
A menstrual short panty having an elastic piece fixed to the front and rear of the crotch region in an elongated state is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,608,551, issued to Seijo on Sep. 28, 1971. The elastic piece is said to keep a sanitary napkin raised and in contact with xe2x80x9cthe private parts of a human female""s body irrespective of her physical movements . . . . xe2x80x9d The elastic piece is joined to the leg openings by an open mesh network and the crotch region underlies the network. While such a device may improve body contact along a coronal centerline of a wearer""s body, the device is unlikely to lift a catamenial absorbent into conformity with the external surface of a wearer""s labia. Further. the narrow central elastic piece may cause the device to be uncomfortable to wearers because all of the lifting force appears to be concentrated along the wearer""s coronal centerline.
Japanese Utility Model 4-9222, published in the name of Kao Corp. on Aug. 11, 1992 describes an undergarment having portions with differing mechanical properties wherein the fabric comprising the front part, the crotch part and the back central part has a longitudinal tensile strength that is at least twice the longitudinal tensile strength of the left and right back parts. With the tensile strength in the lateral direction being less than the tensile strength in the longitudinal direction in each of the parts. The undergarment is said to expand and shrink in accordance with wearer movement so a sanitary napkin disposed thereon will not shift. While such a garment may improve contact between the garment and a sanitary napkin disposed thereon, such improved contact will not, of necessity, provide improved body contact. Importantly, the consistent nature of the mechanical properties of the fabric that makes up the front part, the crotch part, and the back central part means that the garment is likely to provide an essentially constant force throughout the crotch part.
U.S. Pat. No. 5.611,722, issued to Osborn on Mar. 18, 1997 describes a panty-type undergarment. The panty-type undergarment has a front panel, a rear panel, and a crotch portion. The undergarment further includes a substantially anchor-shaped support panel having a greater resistance to stretch than the rest of the undergarment which is integrally knit into the rear panel. The support panel is said to lift and separate the cheeks of a wearer""s buttocks. The support panel includes a vertical strip and upwardly curving portions which extend toward and along a portion of the undergarmnent""s leg openings. While such undergarments may lift and separate the cheeks of a wearer""s buttocks, the undergarments fail to provide a lifting force that would improve bodily contact between a catamenial device and a wearer""s pudendal region.
Disposable menstrual panties are also known. For example PCT Application WO 95/06451 published in the name of Kimberly-Clark Corporation on Mar. 9, 1995 describes a disposable menstrual panty said to provide backup leakage protection by way of an absorbent/barrier composite positioned in the crotch area of the panty. The menstrual panty described therein is also provided with circumferentially oriented elastics said to allow the panty to conform to various body types and builds. However, because they only encircle a wearer""s waist and hip areas, such elastics provide no xe2x80x9cz directionxe2x80x9d (i.e. upward) biasing force to help maintain a catamenial device in contact with a wearer""s pudendal region. As a result. there is a risk of leakage around the catamenial device and a resultant risk of soiled outer garments or bedding.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an undergarment that conforms to the external surfaces or a wearer""s pudendal region without causing substantial discomfort. It is another object of the present invention to provide an undergarment that fits against a wearer""s body so closely that it is like a xe2x80x9csecond skinxe2x80x9d. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved undergarment for use with a catamenial device or an incontinence control device which causes such devices to conform to the external surfaces of a wearer""s pudendal region so as to provide improved protection against leakage. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide an undergarment which provides a biasing force to help insure close contact between such devices and a wearer""s pudendal region throughout the full range of wearer motions without causing any significant wearer discomfort.
These and various other objectives of the present invention will be more readily apparent when considered in reference to the following description and when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
The present invention relates to undergarments that have close, almost xe2x80x9csecond skin,xe2x80x9d body fit. In particular the undergarments of the present invention are particularly well suited for helping hold an absorbent article, such as a catamenial pad or incontinence device, in close bodily contact throughout a wide range of wearer motions.
The undergarment of the present invention comprises an elasticized waistband, a front panel, a rear panel, a crotch panel and a pair of elasticized leg openings. The front and rear panels are preferably extensible in both the longitudinal and lateral directions. The crotch panel is disposed between the front and rear panels and has greater resistance to stretching in either of the longitudinal or lateral directions than the front and rear panels.
The rear panel is provided with a lifting member which cooperates with the rear panel to provide a xe2x80x9cz-directionxe2x80x9d biasing force along the longitudinal centerline of the undergarment. This biasing force causes the crotch panel, and any absorbent article that may be disposed thereon, to be lifted into close bodily contact when the undergarment is worn.
The crotch panel is further provided with a longitudinal stretch control member that is disposed along the longitudinal centerline of the undergarment and, preferably, a plurality of angled stretch control members that extend from the longitudinal stretch control member to the leg elastics at an acute angle to the longitudinal stretch control member. The longitudinal stretch control member directs forces from the front and rear panels so as to lift the crotch panel into close bodily contact along a sagittal centerline and the leg elastics lift the distal edges to close bodily contact adjacent a wearer""s leg creases. As a result the crotch panel maintains close bodily contact over substantially the entire external surface of a wearer""s labia. The ratio of the xe2x80x9cz-directionxe2x80x9d biasing force along the centerline to a body contact force on a labial surface is greater than 1:1.
While the undergarment of the present invention can be assembled from materials that may be known to the art as having the requisite mechanical properties, it is preferably knit. When the undergarment of the present invention is knit, the mechanical properties of the various components thereof can be provided by a combination of the knit pattern used for a particular component and the yams that are used. In a particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention, the stretch control members are integrally knit with the crotch panel and the lifting member is integrally knit with the rear panel.